From Dirty Laundry to a Bird's Happy Ending

Displaced osprey family rehomed in Cape Cod laundry basket

An osprey who was injured in a violent storm last month has been renested outside her rescuer's Cape Cod home in a laundry basket. Cape Wildlife Center staff, who rehabilitated the bird and made her a secure nest using the basket, report that the bird's family is active and seems happy in their new home.

"We are thrilled anytime there's a happy ending to a story with a tragic beginning," said Theresa Barbo, director of the Cape Wildlife Center. "The osprey family's story represents a perfect example of what our team at the Cape Wildlife Center can accomplish."

A powerful summer storm had blown the osprey family's nest into the waters of Cape Cod, causing one chick to drown. Admirers of the birds saw the birds' home get swept away, rescued a struggling chick and took him to the Cape Wildlife Center for treatment. With the help of the Massachusetts Audubon's Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary staffers, a new, secure nest for the family was made out of a laundry basket, and placed in view of their rescuer's home. To read more about their story, click here.

The Cape Wildlife Center, which is operated by The Humane Society of the United States in partnership with the Fund for Animals, provides year-round care for 135 species of wildlife – from songbirds, waterfowl, raptors to raccoons, foxes and coyotes, with wildlife care, wildlife advocacy and wildlife conflict-resolution as its key missions.

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